WANG FAMILY HOME

At the end of the Yuan dynasty (1312-1313), a Taiyuan farmer named Wang Shi moved to Jingsheng and started trading. Business prospers, and the rich merchant starts a prestigious administrative career: The Wang clan was born and perpetuated over 27 generations and 680 years.

Family ownership has experienced an extraordinary fate: built over a period from Emperor Kangxi to Emperor Jiaqing (1662 to 1820), it was abandoned by the descendants of the Wang clan in 1937, at the time of the Japanese invasion. Local peasants were then suitable until the mid -1990 s, when Shanxi Province decided to classify the site and exploit it for tourist purposes. There were no fewer than 212 families and 600 people in total who had to be evacuated from Wang.

It must be said that with its 123 courses framed with over 1,000 buildings, the Wang House looks more like a small town than a family home. It is made up of two distinct parts separated by a natural divide that is surrounded by a stone bridge. The western part, called the «red door fort», covers 25,000 m ² and comprises 88 courses. Its general plan imparts the Chinese character «Wang», with a central aisle cut by three perpendicular alleys. The eastern part, Gaojiaya, consists of 35 courses. The buildings are characterized by a mixture of gray bricks and wood, and typically typical architecture of northern China. The influences of the south of the country are nevertheless felt in a small part of the home's pavilions.

Today, this large residence is the largest in this part of China, contributing to a ranking at UNESCO. This visit remains an essential part of the region.